Many vehicles are unable to carry large items, such as bicycles, skis, luggage, etc. within the cabin. As a result, a variety of vehicles are provided with carrier racks or supports, which are adapted to support particular vehicle mounting assemblies. The carrier supports typically have a mount support with a circular or oval shaped rod that extends at least partially across the vehicle's roof. The mount support is then typically connected to the roof of the vehicle. A vehicle carrier system can then be attached to the mount support in order to transport one or more items such as bicycles, skis, luggage, etc. on the roof of the vehicle. It is important that the mount assembly fit properly and securely on the mount support to prevent the carrier system from moving or freeing from the mount support.
While this arrangement has received some success, one problem typically faced by users is that the mount assembly of a particular carrier system may only be adapted to connect to a particular mount support. Therefore, if a user wishes to change vehicles, the user is typically faced with the option of either buying a new carrier system to accommodate a new carrier mount support design of the new vehicle or purchasing a vehicle with the same carrier mount support configuration. Neither option provides an ideal solution.
Prior art attempts at solving the problem of providing a carrier system including a mounting assembly that can be adapted to be used with a wide variety of mount support configurations have not proved reliable. Prior art carrier systems that claim to be universal often result in a mount assembly that fits poorly on many mount support configurations, resulting in a potentially dangerous situation. One such prior art attempt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,163. The '163 patent is directed towards a system for securing an equipment carrier to a vehicle-mounted support. While the '163 patent includes an adjustable strap that wraps around a mount support, the system has a number of drawbacks. For example, the system disclosed in the '163 patent includes a plurality of teeth on the adjustable strap that engage corresponding teeth on a releasable retainer. With each use of the system, the teeth are subject to continuous wear and eventual failure of the system. Furthermore, the tightening member is located on the top of the assembly. As a result, adjustment of the tension in the strap is made difficult when mounted on the top of a vehicle. In addition, the system is provided in two distinct pieces that are not connected together when removed from the vehicle. As a result, the system can easily be separated from one another and lost resulting in an inoperable system. Another drawback to the system disclosed in the '163 patent is the extreme bending angle the strap must make in order to wrap around a mount support. If the mount support is any wider than the base through which the straps extend, the strap is subject to a serious bend that may permanently deform the strap. Therefore, while the '163 patent claims to provide a universal carrier system, in actuality, the system is seriously limited in the potential acceptable mount supports that the system can be used with.
There is a need in the art for a reliable mount assembly that can be adjusted to mount on a variety of mount supports with different cross-sectional configurations. Furthermore, there is a need in the art for a reliable mount assembly that is easy and fast to use. The present invention overcomes these and other problems and an advance in the art is achieved. The present invention provides an adjustable mount assembly for a carrier system that is capable of coupling to a wide variety of mount supports. Furthermore, the present invention provides an adjustment member that can quickly and easily increase the tension in the adjustable mount assembly in order to securely hold the adjustable mount assembly onto the mount support.